Grant Proposal: Research In Motion (National BDPA)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) submitted a grant proposal to Research In Motion (RIM). We are asking them to fund part of our Student Information Technology & Scholarship (SITES) program. BDPA created the SITES program to teach advanced computer science and community responsibility to students from historically disadvantaged communities.

An important component of our SITES program is the Youth Technology Camp (YTC). The YTC provides interactive, hands-on workshops, seminars, and activities for high school students seeking to gain valuable exposure in leading edge technology topics. BDPA recognizes that to close the gap of computer and technology literacy, minority youth must participate and compete in today’s digital economy. Otherwise, our youth run the risk of being obsolete in the 21st century workforce.

The SITES curriculum is developed and taught by volunteer professionals with computer science and IT backgrounds. YTC is held in conjunction with the annual National BDPA Technology Conference. The YTC is a three-day event held from 8:00am-5:00pm Wednesday thru Friday. On Friday, the camp will take an offsite tour to a high tech company or university to introduce the students to new skills that will empower them to take control of their future.

National BDPA will train 100 students in the 2012 YTC being held in Baltimore, MD. Students are not required to have prior computer training before entering the program. Half of the students will come from cities across the nation. The remaining 50 students come from Baltimore-area schools.

We are hopeful that RIM will smile favorably on our funding request.